Set the context for your presentation by giving a quick overview of the past, present and future of your industry. As you can see, while the template looks polished and professional, it does not take away the attention from the presenter or the information provided. This is one common issue with using a strong photo as a visual.

Here is the circle diagram we will learn today:

There are tons of uses for this diagram. You can use it to represent Pros and Cons of an issue, two sides of an argument or two contrasting views.

Let us learn to draw this stunning circle in simple steps.

Step 1: Drawing the circle

Go to Auto shapes option and select ‘Block Arc’ tool.

Hold the shift button while drawing the shape. You will get a perfect semi circular block like this:

Fill the color of your choice and remove the outline. Now copy the shape and place it right on top of the original shape. Go to Arrange -> Rotate - > Flip Vertical. You should get a circle with two equal halves like this:

Choose a color to fill the bottom half of the circle. Group the two halves.

Add a PowerPoint shadow to give it a base. Choose the shadow option in the same menu and choose Presets -> Outer -> Offset Diagonal Bottom Right. Enter the following values for size and blur. This gives the 3D circle in PowerPoint a more realistic feel:

There we go. Our final product is ready. If you had followed all the steps, your awesome circle should look like this:

Variations to circle diagram in PowerPoint:

There are some useful variations to this diagram. Take a look at some of the options below to serve as an inspiration:

Since record-high oil and gas prices began falling again late last year, is it still a good idea to assess and improve your manufacturing plant's energy efficiency? We believe that it is.

Energy assessments, energy-efficient technologies and industrial best practices could be among the wisest investments your company can make. Operating more energy efficiently increases your bottom line, freeing up funds for other pressing needs. It also benefits your community and the environment as a whole by conserving natural resources and reducing harmful emissions. And, energy efficiency can be an important part of a successful long-term strategy for savings.

Potential to save both energy and money

When hurricanes devastated the Gulf Coast region in 2005, domestic oil and gas supplies were severely disrupted and costs rapidly shot upward. By the end of the year, natural gas prices had risen to $16 per million Btu in some U.S. spot markets, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — more than double the average price in May of that year.

As part of its response to the crisis, the federal government released some valuable oil reserves. Plants that relied on natural gas, however, had little choice but to look for every opportunity for savings. One result was that hundreds of plant managers applied for a U.S.Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Savings Assessment (ESA) of their steam or process heating systems in 2006. Hundreds more requested other assistance from DOE, such as training in the use of the DOE Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) assessment software tools, in order to start trimming energy use and costs as quickly as possible.

Many plants discovered opportunities to use best practices in energy management in their key process energy systems. Others found that an equipment upgrade designed to increase the efficiency of an industrial system can pay for itself through energy cost savings in a relatively short time.

Marc Montemayor, a system engineer at Texas Instruments, says, "DOE provided an extremely professional and knowledgeable (ESA Energy Expert) who brought a fresh perspective, new ideas and energy savings opportunities that applied to our system."

Results tallied for the first 200 ESAs conducted in 2006 show that the ESA Energy Experts and participating plants identified opportunities to save a total of about 52 trillion Btu of natural gas per year. That's as much as about 723,000 typical U.S. households would use in a year, and it represents nearly $485 million in potential annual energy cost savings.

Another steam system ESA conducted at General Motors' assembly plant in Flint, Mich., identified opportunities to reduce annual natural gas usage by approximately 8 percent. Recommendations included decommissioning unused air supply houses (ASH), ensuring that dampers operate properly on ASH units in use, implementing a new steam trap maintenance program and reducing boiler blowdown.

And, an ESA conducted at a Kraft Foods plant in Campbell, N.Y., uncovered opportunities toreduce natural gas costs by more than 13 percent per year. These savings could be realized by improving boiler efficiency and reducing steam demand through such measures as installing direct-contact water heaters and using No. 2 fuel oil for backup to obtain a more favorable utility rate.

In all, nearly $200 million in energy-saving projects were either completed, under way, or in the planning stages at more than 115 plants by early 2007.

Steve Schultz of 3M Corporation says his plant's assessment "helped us identify opportunities. Had we not done the assessment, I don't think we would be aware of them ... and we wouldn't be working toward implementing them."

These energy and cost savings are not the whole story, however. If U.S. industries implement the recommendations coming out of the ESAs, they will reduce the total annual growth in carbon dioxide emissions in this country by at least 7 percent.

The outlook for natural gas

It can be tricky to predict changes in energy prices, because the reasons for these fluctuations are many and complex. Some analysts say that the drop in natural gas prices in late 2006 was caused in part by milder than usual weather conditions, particularly during the hurricane season, which reduced demand and helped the nation build up reserves again. Other analysts note that even small disruptions in supplies can lead to huge swings in prices. They see a future upward trend as inevitable.

Atmospheric scientists at Colorado State University and elsewhere are forecasting that at least one major hurricane will strike the southeastern United States in 2007. If this is correct and supplies are disrupted again, oil and natural gas prices could climb. Even in mild hurricane seasons, however, there are upward pressures on prices.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration ( EIA) foresees gradual but steady increases in prices between 2016 and 2030. In his statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in February 2006, EIA administrator Guy Caruso said that in the long term, "growth in liquefied natural gas imports, Alaskan production, and lower-48 production from unconventional sources are not expected to increase sufficiently to offset the impacts of resource depletion and increased demand in the lower-48 states."

Future price fluctuations seem to be virtually assured. Plants that use energy efficiently will be ahead of the game when those swings occur.

Start saving today

How can your plant be one of the winners? ITP BestPractices resources can help. These resources can assist you in formulating the long-term strategies that allow your company to thrive in the face of constantly changing energy costs.

In addition, small- to medium-sized plants can contact a regional Industrial Assessment Centerfor information and assistance. And ITP training in the use of assessment tools is available to plants of any size, as are all ITP BestPractices resources.

You can also find many good ways to reduce your energy use and costs on DOE's latest Save Energy Now CD-ROM. This CD brings together a wealth of energy-saving tips, case studies, technical manuals, and software tools — all in one package — that help you assess the best opportunities for savings at your site.

In manufacturing, operating costs can stack up quickly, significantly affecting the bottom line. Many times, simple solutions to cut operating costs are overlooked because operators are simply not aware of cost-effective measures that have noticeable effect on daily operations and expenses. One of those simple solutions is lighting.

Typically, lighting is the last line item on the budget operators worry about or assess. Many companies feel as though they have no control of their energy costs; it’s just an item on the budget that has to be paid, no matter what the cost. Such costs can result in millions of dollars of lost revenue each year.

Older facilities were not designed with lighting efficiency in mind. The vast majority of manufacturing plants are wasting more than half of their energy every year. In fact, even lights installed five years ago use twice the energy as efficient lights available today. Most older-type lights produce 30 percent less light after just one year and continue to dim until they die. Manufacturers continue to pay the full light bill for less than half the light. And to add insult to injury, poorly lit work areas can be unsafe and less productive, costing a company even more.

The fact is that most manufacturing companies can cut lighting costs by 40 to 60 percent each year and have better lighting by switching to energy-efficient lights. On top of the savings and improved work environment, companies can capitalize further by taking advantage of EPACT 2005, a federal tax deduction for energy efficiency that applies to lighting upgrades.

But deciding to take a look at lighting is only the first step in an important process. Many lighting companies and suppliers sell lights. The challenge is that every facility is different and each has distinct needs and uses for lighting. Therefore, sifting through hundreds of available lighting products to find the right solution for each facility can be time-consuming at best.

The easiest solution is one that is turn-key. If you are considering upgrading lighting, make sure to choose a supplier that provides the following:

1) EPACT federal tax deduction will offset 25 percent of upgrade cost. Turn-key suppliers provide proper design so the upgrades qualify for the deduction, and also complete all of the paperwork for the deduction, eliminating confusing red tape associated with tax deductions.

2) Custom design includes installing the best fixtures for each application, utilizing motion sensors to reduce light levels in low-traffic areas of facilities such as warehouses, and on-off control to eliminate wasted energy when areas of a facility are unoccupied.

3) Available financing. Energy-efficient lighting upgrades generally provide a return on investment within two years of implementation, but most companies still choose to finance them from the energy savings. Turn-key lighting companies offer financing as part of their services, making it possible for companies to implement and realize cost savings now without any money out of pocket.

This article was provided by Energy Management Systems. EMS is an Indiana company helping companies throughout the country to reduce energy consumption and cut energy costs. EMS offers energy usage assessments and provides solutions to reduce wasted energy and unnecessary costs. For more information, visit www.energymanagement.com or call 317-341-5968.